Halfway through Hornby’s break-out book. A book review will follow, but for now, my favorite passage. Here, the protagonist is discussing the virtues of the “what’s your favorite book/movie/tv” question, often asked on a date after a discussion of the weather, and before a debate on which Spears is more screwed up.
“But there was in important and essential truth contained in the idea, and the truth was that these things matter, and it’s no good pretending that any relationsihp has a futue if your record collections disagree violently, or if your favorite films wouldn’t even speak to each other if they met at a party.”
But, what if just the opposite occurs. Say I’m with this guy, and our iTunes playlist and Facebook-noted favorite books get along famously at happy hour, drinking out of the same bottle and even sharing peanuts. It’s the two of us that are the problem, left staring at each other across the table, in a silence of the uncomfortable variety. We check our phones. We alternate looking at our feet, then up at the ceiling. We take bigger swallows of beer. We wait for the things unsaid, to say something. We wait some more.
Have you been on a date with somone you think you have a lot in common with, yet the date’s just…awkward? Let us know. Shoot us an email at erinsammyawkward@gmail.com.
